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- Barbara
- Hancock Nelson
- No
- 3253 McMullen Booth Road
Clearwater
Florida
33761
United States - St. Joseph's Children's Specialty Center - Mease Countryside
Clearwater
Florida
33761
United States
Depending on the child's current skill level/severity I may start with gross motor imitation, use of simple signs, or specifically chosen words (sounds patterns) all paired with word models. Prosody, voicing, and movement are all important components to consider. I take what the child can do, and build on it using a variety of paired motor movements. Slowed down finger plays are an example of a great tool if the child is interested, or if they are not ready for that, I may simply target functional words during a variety of play activities with high repetition. I also like to incorporate the parents into each therapy session and use a portion of the session to brainstorm meaningful moments during the child's day to practice targets. For example, bath time, on playground equipment, or during snack time. I would describe my treatment as specific for each child given a set of apraxia based tools and always build on wha they can do rather than what typical age of acquisition would be.
My involvement is limited to treatment.
Parents are in each treatment session and begin the therapy process with collaboration regarding their child's skills set, information regarding apraxia treatment, and starting goals. They begin as observers, but are gradually given more responsibility to demonstrate cueing and facilitation within the session (especially for weekly home targets). Parents also provide fantastic reinforcement for word attempts (e.g. calling for parents attention). Parents are also encouraged to provide feedback weekly so goals and strategies can be adjusted appropriately. Parents are considered an important part of the speech team.
I have used simple signs (or sing approximations) and core vocabulary sheets depending on the child's needs/skills. I have in a limited capacity used the TouchChat when word approximations were still too difficult to meet communication needs. Regardless of the mode, a verbal/production model is always paired with AAC to continue promoting verbal progress. At times, the AAC has been a great confidence booster.